Chapter 188

After Ye Jiang was promoted to S-Rank, her five senses became more and more acute. She could even see the confusion on the faces of some surviving citizens. The joy of surviving the disaster had not yet surged up, and there was only a deep sense of confusion about the future.

Ye Jiang recalled that the Ability Control Bureau had mentioned to her that the Polluted had been rampant lately and that Polluted were rapidly evolving.

Ye Jiang withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes, and concealed the slight ripples within them.

Entering the dilapidated alley outside the Ability Control Bureau, Ye Jiang bumped into an old acquaintance Yu Hai. This A-Rank elite from the General Bureau seemed to be heading out on business. He paused for a moment when he saw Ye Jiang, then immediately went to greet her.

"Healer!" he exclaimed with delight, "You've come?"

Ye Jiang looked at his attire. "Are you going out?"

Yu Hai said, "There's been a Polluted incident in Dongcheng. I'm planning to go check it out. It doesn't seem like a very serious incident; they seem to be handling it. I just happen to be free... Shall I take you in first?"

Ye Jiang was momentarily distracted, remembering the battle she had witnessed on the road.

"Healer?"

Ye Jiang snapped out of her daze, "Don't worry about me, I'll go in by myself. You go about your business."

Yu Hai, "I'm not very busy. I'll see you inside. I also have something I'd like to ask you about. It's too rushed to leave right after this."

Ye Jiang did not refuse after hearing his words.

The two walked and talked, the narrow alley cutting the Sky into very small sections.

Yu Hai had too many questions he wanted to ask, but those questions had already been written into his mission report and submitted to the higher-ups. The leaders would consult with the Healer, so he asked some minor details that the leaders might not have enough time to discuss. He asked about Monster 357, who appeared in the mall, and... No. 0, asking where they went after that day.

His main concern was that the monsters might harm their important Healer. The monsters were mysterious, their good and evil intentions unclear, and their stance uncertain. Judging from the behavior of 357 and No. 0 in the mall, they had a good relationship with the Healer, but it was hard to guarantee that they would always remain benevolent towards the Healer.

Humans are highly suspicious of monsters because the monsters are too powerful and humans are too weak; they fear that the slightest lapse in vigilance will lead to their annihilation.

Thinking of this, Yu Hai couldn't suppress his worry. "Those monsters, did they leave the mall? Or...?"

"They all stayed in the mall," Ye Jiang said. "Number 357 and... even No. 0 are there."

Sink it with a single blow.

Yu Hai's expression froze for a moment. How could this be?

The monsters are staying in the mall, which belongs to the Healer. What's the difference between that and carrying bombs around?

Unaware of Mr. Elite's somber mood, Ye Jiang continued, "The strange energy in the business world helps them improve themselves, which they appreciate, so they stayed."

Actually, it was because Ye Jiang kept them there as teachers, working without pay.

That sounds a bit like being a ruthless exploiter, Ye Jiang instinctively realized that it didn't sound good, so... so she came up with a little scheme, saying that the monsters liked it and stayed willingly.

They really did like it; when they first met 357, they even deliberately exposed their true forms to absorb energy.

Ye Jiang pursed her lips and kept a straight face, suppressing all her guilt under this facade. She didn't notice that the elite gentleman was stunned by her plausible explanation, and that he even stopped in his tracks.

Ye Jiang noticed that Yu Hai was a few steps behind her, and turned to look at him in confusion.

What's wrong?

Ye Jiang cast a questioning glance at her.

Yu Hai's expression was extremely complicated. A monster... could also absorb the strange energy in the mall?

That's not the miracle that humanity seeks... is it exclusive to humans?

Yu Hai's mind was in turmoil, his heart pounding. The feeling he had after seeing Cheng Xin unleash multiple superpowers returned—a feeling that his existing knowledge was being eroded...

He quickly reined in his running mind, not daring to let his thoughts wander.

"N-nothing," he said, but for no apparent reason, sweat broke out on his forehead.

He raised his hand to wipe it away.

Ye Jiang gave him a strange look. Something was clearly wrong with the elite man, but she wasn't particularly curious about him, so she didn't press him for details.

"Can I take a look at that shard of mirror you have?"

She suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Yu Hai was still a bit out of it and didn't hear clearly.

Ye Jiang: "Shattered mirror fragments."

Yu Hai realized what was happening and reflexively patted himself down, but couldn't find it after a frantic search. "I put it in my old clothes. Healer, do you want it? I'll get it for you later."

He looked at Ye Jiang, considered for a moment, and said, "It's just an ordinary fragment of a mirror."

That day in the mall, the cat was calmed down, and Yu Hai regained his senses. He saw the protective barrier supporting the people in the building. Afterwards, he asked the Healer and learned that it was a fragment of an item that the Healer had obtained from a woman.

"There's no energy flow; it's not a prop."

Yu Hai said he was afraid Ye Jiang would think the mirror fragments they got from the cemetery were also props.

Because they were just ordinary fragments, he would have forgotten about them if they hadn't been brought up now.

Ye Jiang listened attentively, and after a while, she said "Oh" and didn't mention it again.

Ye Jiang entered the conference room of the Ability Control Bureau once again. The people in the conference room were the same group who had met with her last time to discuss cooperation. Yu Hai escorted her into the conference room and then left. He was in charge of field operations and did not participate in such meetings.

The gentle old man looked at Ye Jiang with pity, not mentioning how long they had been waiting for her, only saying, "Child, you've had a long journey. Welcome back safely."

Stared at with such caring eyes, Ye Jiang's eyes sparkled, and she felt inexplicably embarrassed. She pretended to be interested in the inferior tea from their Ability Control Bureau and drank it sip by sip from the cup.

The old man simply smiled at her, his gaze gentle and unassuming, and only began to discuss the meeting after she put down her cup.

The exploration mission was extremely important, but now that it has come to an abrupt end, all the crucial information rests on Ye Jiang's shoulders. Both sides intend to have a proper discussion during this meeting.

First, regarding the toys in the shopping mall, the Ability Control Bureau learned from the exploration team's mission report that the toys in the mall possessed independent consciousness, a fact confirmed by the Healer.

What does it mean to have independent consciousness?

They are... life?

The Polluted is no longer a living organism, it is no longer.

Polluted also possess a certain level of intelligence, which increases with their rank. However, this intelligence is not self-awareness; to be precise, it is merely an instinct for self-preservation and self-interest. They lack genuine thought.

But do the toys in the building belong to...?

The people in the conference room had never been to a shopping mall before and had never seen those toys, so they couldn't quite imagine it. They could only hope that Ye Jiang could answer their question, "Could the Healer explain in detail how that works?"

Ye Jiang drank a cup of bitter tea, her mouth felt very astringent, and she swirled her tongue around in her mouth, appearing somewhat absent-minded.

"They awakened their consciousness, but not as toys," she said. "It's because the mall's Origin Power, shining day and night, gave birth to a group of conscious beings who then entered those toys."

She did say it, the only thing she didn't say was that these sentient beings were actually monsters.

It wasn't that she deliberately concealed it, but rather that she wasn't used to categorizing life forms into various groups and had simply forgotten.

The senior executives in the conference room were speechless upon hearing this, exchanging glances.

... So that's how it is.

They were naturally shocked, but on the other hand, the Origin Power was a mysterious energy that they had been studying for three hundred years without being able to figure out. It could stimulate human superpowers, so it seemed... that it was understandable that a group of life forms would be born under the sun day and night.

They were processing this incredibly shocking information, trying to accept and understand it.

"Is it said that those beings have a very strong will to live?" one of the leaders asked. "Are they able to leave the mall? I heard that their attitude towards you is acceptable, but they're not very friendly towards humans?"

Now that they have emerged, they must assess their impact on humanity.

Ye Jiang pondered for a second: Are the little monsters powerful?

If I had to say, they'd be a bit stronger than S-Rank Polluted, but since they're both low-level monsters, they're not worth mentioning in the monster hierarchy.

Ye Jiang truthfully replied, "Slightly stronger than S-Rank Polluted."

The room was completely silent.

But Ye Jiang added, "They won't leave the mall, and their attitude towards humans isn't particularly bad."

She said no, not that she couldn't, but the high-ranking officials from the Ability Control Bureau in the conference room were too nervous to notice this detail.

Theoretically, the monsters and their toy bodies should be able to leave the mall, but Ye Jiang won't let them out.

Since Ye Jiang was the creator of these little monsters, she defended them, explaining that the toys were only meant to lure humans into the mall so they could play with them, and that they had never harmed anyone. The higher-ups visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this explanation.

The Dark Ages are approaching, and they desperately do not want any unknown and powerful adversaries to emerge at this time.

They remained wary. Humans were a weak race, and the appearance of powerful new life always aroused vigilance. This vigilance wouldn't disappear anytime soon, but the Healer's words did reassure them somewhat.

"What did the Healer discover about the Origin Power in that shopping mall?" Elder Zhu asked at this point, as the Origin Power, capable of giving birth to powerful life forms, was more mysterious than they had imagined.

Ye Jiang: "."

She found out everything.

But she didn't want to talk about it, feeling it would be too much trouble, and she didn't like trouble.

Feeling a little guilty, she picked up the cup she had put down and drank the empty tea—she had drunk all the tea.

"I now have control of the mall, and I know everything about it," Ye Jiang said, drawing the attention of all the senior executives in the conference room. Their eyes were fixed on her.

Ye Jiang lowered her gaze, avoiding their eyes.